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Topic: Short changed at a restaurant (Read 32187 times)

If my bill is, for example, $9.63 and I only have a $20 on me, I expect to get $11.37 in change. I will then leave a $2 tip, which is what I leave for checks in the $10 range - I tip a little higher on small checks because the server has had to do the same amount of work. It isn't their fault that I ordered something cheap.

If I don't get the coins back, I'm not leaving a further $2 as tip. At most, I'm leaving an additional dollar. So a server not bringing me all my change? Is going to get less of a tip.

It really isn't as big a problem here in Canada, though, because our smallest bill is a $5. So servers have to bring coinage, regardless, and so bring all the change. And if the change is $15.37, you'll quite often get a $10, 1 or 2 $2 coins and 3 or 1 $1 coins as your change so you can leave a tip. If they bring you a $10 and a $5 bill, you might not have the small stuff to leave a tip.

Logged

After cleaning out my Dad's house, I have this advice: If you haven't used it in a year, throw it out!!!!.

I don't usually pay cash at restaurants, but I do at my nail salon. So if the pedicure is $35, I might hand the person who did my toes two twenties and a ten (so $50) and say something like, "I would just like $8 back" (so it's a 20% or $7 tip). If I were to have a $9.63 bill at a restaurant and only have a $20 I bet I would say, "Can I just get $8 back please?" Because I would not want the coins, and because the 37 cents means more to the server than it does to me, especially when the time value of money is factored in. If this were a fully stocked cash register event with no expectation of tipping, I might "expect" my change back but I most typically would toss the change into the "need a penny take a penny, have a penny leave a penny" jar.

Different approaches, both are fine. I just bristle at the commentary from some that the servers are thieves and diabolically motivated to steal small amounts of changes from patrons.

I'm also stunned that people are saying that servers may not know how to make change. It's basic maths. Are kids not taught this in school any more?

Of course we learn addition and subtraction in school. That can't be a serious question.

I may have missed it, but did anyone actually say that they round the change because they can't do the math? I think I was the first to say that making change can be inconvenient, but I meant it in the sense of logistics, not because it's too difficult to count.

I'm also stunned that people are saying that servers may not know how to make change. It's basic maths. Are kids not taught this in school any more?

Of course we learn addition and subtraction in school. That can't be a serious question.

I may have missed it, but did anyone actually say that they round the change because they can't do the math? I think I was the first to say that making change can be inconvenient, but I meant it in the sense of logistics, not because it's too difficult to count.

Yes - someone did throw that out as a possibility. I don't think they said they themselves didn't know how but they said that some wait staff don't know how.

I'm also stunned that people are saying that servers may not know how to make change. It's basic maths. Are kids not taught this in school any more?

Of course we learn addition and subtraction in school. That can't be a serious question.

I may have missed it, but did anyone actually say that they round the change because they can't do the math? I think I was the first to say that making change can be inconvenient, but I meant it in the sense of logistics, not because it's too difficult to count.

It was, actually. Several people in this thread wondered whether perhaps the server didn't know how to make change properly, so my post was in response to that.

One thing I think some posters are not grasping is that most servers do not have access to a cash register during their shift. The coins they carry around are heavy. Especially if a server is expected to make change down to the 37 cents that is at least four coins right there - a quarter, a dime and two pennies. Imagine this over the course of an entire shift. If the 37 cents is important to a patron, by all means they should ask for it. But they should also not be upset if it takes a while to get it. It could require the server to get a bartender to take the time to make change out of a larger bill, and at some points this could take quite a while. If it were me, and I were a busy server, and a patron asked for the 37 cents, I would forfeit the 63 cents and give a whole dollar because the time value of 37 cents is just so silly to me. In my experience, someone wanting the coins was very rare, and I was generally tipped very very well.

One thing I think some posters are not grasping is that most servers do not have access to a cash register during their shift. The coins they carry around are heavy. Especially if a server is expected to make change down to the 37 cents that is at least four coins right there - a quarter, a dime and two pennies. Imagine this over the course of an entire shift. If the 37 cents is important to a patron, by all means they should ask for it. But they should also not be upset if it takes a while to get it. It could require the server to get a bartender to take the time to make change out of a larger bill, and at some points this could take quite a while. If it were me, and I were a busy server, and a patron asked for the 37 cents, I would forfeit the 63 cents and give a whole dollar because the time value of 37 cents is just so silly to me. In my experience, someone wanting the coins was very rare, and I was generally tipped very very well.

Really? I've never heard of a server not having access to the register. Maybe it's the sort of places I go to eat, but all the servers I know of use the registers all the time. I've never heard of one carrying around cash to make change, except at a food booth at the fair or something similar. I believe you -- just never seen such a thing.

I worked at 4 or so low/midrange restaurants (most checks per person coming to $15-20) and each of those places required servers to carry their own banks. I certainly don't think its uniform across all restaurants or anything, but it's certainly a common practice.

*snip*Also - and this is genuine curiosity not snark here - to all those people saying that they round up or down, does nobody cash up and check the amounts? I would be really surprised if being constantly up/down didn't really annoy the boss at closing time?

I don't know about over places. I can only answer for the restaurant I work in , but we round at the end of the night as well.

Each server has a unique log in to the computer system. At the end of the night they each run a server report. This states how much in sales each person has and breaks it down by food and alcohol. This also tells you how much cash you owe the restaurant or, if you've had only CC all day, how much the restaurant owes you. We add up the alcohol sales and take 4% of that to tip out the bar. If that tip out comes to 17.50 we give 18. We then take 2% of the total food sales and give that to the bus boy. If that comes out to 13.49 we give 13. The amount we owe the restaurant is rounded as well. If the report says we owe anything under X.50 we round down to x. If we owe anything X.50 or more we round up to y.

So even the restaurant is rounding.

This is my first time working in a restaurant so I thought that was just how it was done. I haven't seen anyone complain as of yet. So this thread is the first I'm hearing of people not liking the practice.

I work at a restaurant and I can guarantee you it's not malicious in intent. We round. We don't carry change, just bills. So if you change back is 3.42 we will give you back 3. But if it is 3.50 we will give back 4.

I have NEVER been rounded up to the higher bill amount, and eat out in restaurants quite a bit. However, I HAVE been rounded down (even when my change should be $4.75, I'd get back $4).

In the few times where I do not receive change, I take this into account in the tip and you'll find that you receive less from both me and my b/f as both of us deal with the situation the same way. So if don't give me my change, I will likely take that into consideration and you *might* get a bare 15% vs a normal 20-25%. If you come to me and tell me that you don't have change, then I may have change to make up the balance, or may tell you to forget it....but this is MY choice to make, not your's.

I'm guessing that I'm not the only one who will do this. So ultimately it's going to hurt you more.

If they don't have access to a register, how do they charge credit cards?

What gollymolly2 said. It's all electronic and there is no register or cash involved at all.

That doesn't seem efficient.

Either way, it's not the customer's fault it's so much more difficult and it's not up to them to, literally, pay for it even if it's just a few cents. It's rather presumptious to say that customers have to ask for their own money back in order to get it.

I usually pay cash at restaurants and I've never counted change before, but I sure will now. Although, I've never experienced not getting change back when it's warranted (didn't count it, but there were coins!) so maybe it's not as widespread as I fear.